Chapter 18
Chapter 18
“YOU HAVE TO GO YACHTING ?”
I nodded grimly. I was sitting on the sofa with Marissa at Cassie’s place, having a glass of wine before I headed home to my loved-up dad and the paleo-tastic dinner he’d promised to make. Eggs with steak and chia seeds, sprinkled with protein powder, or something.
“But aren’t you scared of the ocean?” Cassie asked, topping up my wineglass on the coffee table in front of us.
Again, I gave a grim nod, tightness spreading across my chest. This was quickly becoming a disaster-in-the-making. After my interview on Monday, true to his word, Roger had sent over an employment contract with a formal offer for the job. He’d attached a note with a date, time, and location for the dreaded sail.
I buried my head in my hands. “How do I get myself into these situations?”
“It’s no big deal. Just go, sail, and it’ll be over,” Marissa said in her pragmatic way.
I looked up at her from my bent-over position. “Do you not remember how I was on the ferry to Waiheke that time?”
Last summer, the three of us had been invited to a wedding at a vineyard on Waiheke, an island off the east coast of Auckland city in the Hauraki Gulf. There was a regular ferry service to and from the island, and, although I had always been freaked out by the ocean, I figured I would be fine on a boat as large as a ferry. I wasn’t. While the others enjoyed the brilliant summer sun outside, I spent the entire return journey inside, looking at the floor, clutching onto my seat, trying my best not to think of the terrifying sea life that lay beneath my feet.
“Yes, but I’m sure you’ll be fine. How big is the yacht?” Cassie asked.
I shrugged. “Big enough to take the whole team, I guess.” Madi had told me her dad had a group of about seven employees in the marketing team. All of them “completely bonkers,” apparently.
“And you’ll have a life jacket on,” Marissa added.
I sat bolt upright. “A lifejacket?”
“Yeah, in case you go over . . . board . . .” Marissa trailed off. “Sorry.” She pressed her lips together and knitted her brow when she saw the look of sheer horror on my face. “It’s only a safeguard, nothing to worry about, right, Cassie?”
“Absolutely,” she said with conviction. “Maybe you need to do a practice run? So you don’t get so freaked out.”
I chortled. “Spread the panic?”
Cassie shook her head. “I mean, if you go out for a sail before you go with your new boss, it won’t seem so bad. Do you know anyone with a yacht?”
“Sure, all my friends have yachts. They keep them at their multi-million-dollar seaside mansions along with their classic car collection and their butler’s quarters,” I deadpanned.
“Cute. Here’s a fresh glass of wine.” Cassie handed me my glass. I knew it was a diversion tactic and I didn’t care. Being diverted from my certain watery death was fine with me. I took a sip, hoping the alcohol would quell my nerves. It did not.
“Well, I think it’s fantastic you got this new job. Cheers!” Cassie raised her glass and the three of us clinked. “When do you start?”
“They want me to start as soon as I can. This guy, Wolf, had to leave in a hurry, so the team is down one.”
Cassie raised her eyebrows. “Wolf? What did he have to do, go on a hunting expedition with the pack?”
I laughed.
“I know!” Marissa exclaimed, suddenly excited. Cassie and I looked at her in expectation. “Josh. He sails.”
We were back on that? I shook my head. Mr. Action Man sailed yachts: why did that not surprise me? He did pretty much everything, that guy. Not quite beat me at pool, however. A smile crept across my face. “Huh. I did not know that.”
“Who’s Josh?” Cassie asked.
“He’s the guy Bailey and I want Paige to go on her Last First Date with. Only, she’s not exactly on board with the idea.”
“Ah. Well, isn’t that convenient?” Cassie said, grinning at me, her eyes wide.
I pursed my lips, shooting Marissa a look. “Can we deal with one disaster at a time, please?”
Marissa shook her head. “You haven’t read the dossier we gave you on him, have you? If you did, you’d know he sails. It’s all in there.”
I thought of the blue folder they’d given me that afternoon. When I’d got it home, I’d stuffed it into a drawer full of scarves and hats and hadn’t given it a second thought.
“Are you going to go out with him?” Cassie asked eagerly.
“I’m hardly going to go yachting on a Last First Date with the guy,” I replied. In fact, I wasn’t going to do anything with Josh on a date because I wasn’t going on a Last First Date with him!
“Not your first date. Perhaps your second?” Marissa suggested and Cassie agreed.
I shook my head in exasperation. “Just drop it, okay?”
Marissa shrugged. “Sure, no problem. But he’s the right guy for you, Paige. You just don’t know it yet.”
I clenched my jaw. “Change of subject, please.”
Thankfully, that was all it took. Marissa launched into talking about something that had happened at work, and I sat there, only half listening, my upcoming yachting disaster weighing heavily on my mind.
During my next shift at the Cozy Cottage, Bailey and I were standing next to one another in the kitchen, frosting and decorating cakes.
“I’ve got some news,” I said as I slathered a final blob of frosting onto a carrot cake, trying not to drool too much. There was something about carrot cake—Bailey’s carrot cake, in particular. It was light, moist, and delicious, the hint of sourness from the cream cheese frosting providing a wonderful contrast to the sweetness of the cake. And with healthy carrots in there, it had to be good for you, right? At least, that was what I would always tell myself.
“Oh?” she said, looking up from the apple strudel she was sifting powdered sugar over. Her eyes were shining. “Don’t tell me. I think I know. You went out with Josh!”
The memory of the look on Josh’s face as we stood, almost touching at the pool hall, shot into my mind. My tummy did an involuntary flip. “No, no. I haven’t been on a date with Josh.”
“You haven’t been on a what with Josh?”
I turned to see the man himself, standing in the open doorway, holding his habitual box of coffee beans. He had a questioning look on his face. I swallowed. Awkward!
Whatever happened to knocking on the door?
I could feel a flush burst onto my cheeks. How much of our conversation had he heard? “Oh, I . . . I said I haven’t gone on a run with you.” Phew! Quick thinking saved the day. I glanced at Bailey. She was smirking, her arms crossed as she watched me. It didn’t help my blush in the slightest. I cleared my throat.
Josh took a step into the kitchen. “Paige, have you lost your mind? We went on a run this morning, remember?”
Dang it! “Oh, right. Yes. You’re right, I must be losing my mind.” I bobbed my head from side to side, rolling my eyes to show Josh just how much of my mind I had in fact lost.
I chanced another glance at Bailey. She was pressing her lips together, trying to hide her smirk, still watching me closely. I glared at her. She wasn’t helping the situation in the slightest.
Josh chuckled to himself as he walked past us, saying good morning to Bailey as though I hadn’t just totally humiliated myself in front of him.
“Good morning, Josh. How was that seemingly forgettable run this morning?” Bailey asked.
I glared at her once more but it was having no effect. She was clearly enjoying teasing me.
Having delivered his box of beans to the pantry, Josh returned to the kitchen. His six-foot-something presence suddenly made the room feel very small. “It was great. Paige is definitely ready for The Color Run. In fact, I think she could do it with her eyes closed.”
Bailey smiled at me. “That’s awesome, Paige.”
“Thanks.” I smiled back. I had really thrown myself into my running. I was fitter, slimmer, faster—almost bionic, really. And most importantly, I felt really good about myself. Leaving AGD, working at the café, and running. They’d all helped me get my mojo back, and it felt great.
“Paige was just about to share some news, weren’t you?” Bailey led.
Josh raised his eyebrows. “News?”
“Yes. I got offered a job, so I need to give you notice, Bailey,” I said with mixed emotions. Although I knew taking the job at Nettco Electricity was the right thing to do, I’d really miss working in the café with her. I needed to get my career back on track and get serious. After all, I was hurtling toward thirty at an alarming rate. Didn’t people in their thirties have their lives totally figured out?
“Wow, that’s great, Paige,” Bailey said, walking over to me and giving me a hug.
“You didn’t mention that on our run this morning,” Josh said, furrowing his brow.
“That’s because you made us run so fast I could barely grunt, let alone actually form words,” I replied.
He let out a chuckle. “You remember the run now, do you?”
I shot him a weak smile.
“So, what’s the job?” Bailey asked.
“It’s an Email Marketing Assistant role, a lot like the one I did at AGD. Only without the terrible boss.” I thought of Roger-Rabbit-slash-Elmer-Fudd and his “we’re all crazy here” attitude. He was about as far from uptight, social-climbing, thin-as-a-gazelle Portia de Havilland as any one person could be. “I’ll be working for Nettco.”
“The electricity company?” Josh questioned. When I nodded, he raised his brows and said, “Interesting choice.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why?”
He shook his head. “No reason. Good for you.”
“Thanks. I need to get through this thing next week, though. I have to go yachting with my new boss and his team.”
“Yachting’s great!” Josh said. He took in my expression, which must have been one of sheer dread, no matter how much I tried to appear relaxed. “You’re not a fan?”
“You could say that.”
“Hey, why don’t you take Paige yachting, Josh? That way she can have a practice run beforehand.” She smiled sweetly at me, as though getting Josh and I alone together in an enclosed space wouldn’t work in nicely with her matchmaking.
I wasn’t buying it for a second. “Funny, that’s what Marissa suggested.”
Her eyes wide, she replied, “Really?”
“I’ll take you out. Thursday after work good for you?” Josh asked, clearly oblivious to the coded conversation going on in the kitchen without him.
“That will be fine for Paige. In fact, I’ll get someone to cover the afternoon so you can go straight after lunch,” Bailey said.
“Awesome!” Josh replied.
“Anything to help you with your new job,” Bailey added, patting me on the arm.
My top lip curled. Where was Helena and her Tarantino quotes when I needed her?
“When do you start?” Josh asked.
“Well, that’s kind of up to Bailey.” Even though I could throttle her right about now, I didn’t want to let her down. After all, she’d been good to me, and me to her in return. “I figured I’d work here until you have a replacement.”
“Thanks, you’re a sweetheart. I’ve been interviewing and I think I may have a couple of good, experienced waitresses.”
My heart dropped. Bailey had people lined up to replace me already? “That’s great. Really great.” I forced a smile, my lips twitching as tears threatened. Why did that make me suddenly so sad?
“Well, I’d better get going,” Josh said as he walked toward the back door. “See you for a run tomorrow morning?” he asked me.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I was being silly. I loved working here but it was just to help Bailey out and keep me busy while I got back to my real life. “Oh, yes. Thanks.”
He closed the door behind himself, and I let out a puff of air.
“You okay?” Bailey questioned, returning to her work.
“Yes, thanks.”
Was I okay? I wasn’t sure. If I was convinced I was doing the right thing by leaving the Cozy Cottage, why did it feel so hard?
During the lunchtime madness that had become my way of life at the Cozy Cottage, I noticed a tall man in a black suit walk through the door out of the corner of my eye. I looked over at him, and my heart skipped a beat. It was Marcus. Although I hadn’t heard from him since our date on Saturday, I had told myself not to be worried. He was a busy man with an important job, he’d see me when he could see me. I just needed to be patient and wait. The last thing I wanted to do was put him off by being too needy.
And anyway, he was here .
He joined the back of the line, and I could feel his eyes on me as I served the customers in front of him. I couldn’t help but look over occasionally and smile at him, my heart skipping a beat as he smiled back. Finally, after what felt like an hour of serving customers with time-consuming needs—no pickle with this, mayonnaise on the side with that, half decaf with skim milk and cream—Marcus reached the counter.
“What can I get for you, good sir?” I asked with a grin, the butterflies in my belly singing He’s here! He’s here!
He rested an elbow on the counter and leaned in, a smile teasing the corners of his lips. “Oh, I don’t know. Are you on the menu?”
I let out a light laugh. “I could be. Later.” I bit my lip, not quite believing how flirtatious he was being in the middle of the lunchtime rush.
He shook his head. “Later is too far away while you’re wearing that .”
I looked down at my regulation Cozy Cottage red polka dot apron. Was it weird he thought I looked hot in it? Maybe he had some weird chef fantasies? Gawd, I hoped his mother hadn’t worn aprons when he was a kid.
“Well, it’s lunchtime.” I indicated the lengthening line behind him. The tables were all full, and Bailey and Sophie were buzzing around me, filling orders and restocking the cabinet shelves. I began to feel guilty I wasn’t helping them.
“So? I want to take you somewhere special, Paige. You deserve it.”
Somewhere special? I wondered where he meant. A swanky restaurant? A lavish picnic lunch in the Botanical Gardens? My speculation was interrupted by the man beside Marcus loudly clearing his throat.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’ll be with you in just a moment,” I said to him before turning my attention back to Marcus. “I can’t right now. Can we meet up later? Say at four?”
His expression changed to disappointment as he straightened up. Our shared moment was over. “I’d like that. Now, can I get a chicken pesto panini and a latte to go?”
“Sure.” I smiled at him. We were going “somewhere special” together later, and I couldn’t be happier.
Only later came and went with no sign of Marcus. I leaned up against the outside wall of the café, looking up the street. Perhaps I’d missed him? Perhaps he’d come to get me while I was in the kitchen and Bailey had sent him away? Only, why would she do that? She may want me to date Josh, but she wasn’t the type of person to deliberately sabotage someone. I let out a sigh. He must have got caught up at work or something. I knew there’d be a perfectly viable explanation for why he hadn’t come.
The café door banged next to me, making me jump.
“Paige. What are you still doing here?” Bailey asked as she locked up, the “closed” sign swinging from side to side on its string in the window.
“I’m waiting for someone but they didn’t come, so I guess I’m heading home.”
“That’s a shame. You look dead on your feet, anyway, so perhaps it’s a good thing. Hey, thanks for your help again today. Since the coupons went out, we’ve been so busy. It’s just great, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, I’m really happy for you.”
“For us . It was you who pulled the whole thing together. Without your website and social media postings, I’d still be working out how to add them to the old website I had.”
“I guess. But it’s your café.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. She looked like she was about to say something, then stopped herself, smiling instead. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.”
I stood and watched her walk down the street, her heels clicking on the footpath as she went. I leaned back up against the café wall and decided to give Marcus five more minutes. I pulled out my phone for the umpteenth time. No messages from him, just one from Dad, asking me to pick up some mineral mountain salt on the way home. Whatever that was.
I fired off a text to Marcus, asking where he was. At this point, I figured I had nothing to lose. He wasn’t here, I’d been waiting for forty minutes, I was cold and tired. My heart leapt into my throat when my phone immediately pinged with a message from him.
So sorry! Work crazy. Will make it up to you xx
My tummy twisted into a painful knot. Marcus had stood me up. After the flirting and carrying on today, he’d simply either forgotten or something else had been more important.
I let out a puff of air. At least he had apologized and signed his name with kisses. That had to mean something, didn’t it?